AVHS Students Awarded for Suicide Prevention Films

APPLE VALLEY-(VVNG.com): Apple Valley High School students received three awards for suicide prevention films, at the 2016 Directing Change Program and Film Contest’s third annual Inland Empire Screening and Award Ceremony, Apple Valley Unified School District (AVUSD) officials said.

The Directing Change Program is part of “Each Mind Matters”, California’s Mental Health Movement, administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority. The regional award ceremony was organized by Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health and San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health.

At the May 5, 2016, ceremony at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, the students were honored for their work on the short approximate 1 minute-long films. All of the student-made films can be viewed on youtube.

The film “My Perspective”, created by Morgan Kennedy, Ishmael Soloman and Thomas Hoover, seniors in AVHS’ Computer and Media Pathway, won first place in the Suicide Prevention Category for the San Bernardino region. Thomas Bateman and Dakota Parr, both juniors, placed in the Top 3 of Suicide Prevention category with their film, “Purpose”.

In the Cultural Diversity, Suicide Prevention Category, the film “Make a Statement”, created by Rebekah Alvarez, Kyra Alstott and Devinne Hoffman, juniors, placed in the Top 3 in the San Bernardino region.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a recent study said that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in 2013, nearly 78% of these suicides being males. Suicide data from the 16 National Violent Death Reporting System in 2010 indicated that over 33% of those who die as a result of suicide test positive for alcohol, nearly 24% test positive for antidepressants and 20% test positive for opiates, which included both illegal drugs and prescription painkillers.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has skilled, trained counselors that are available anytime day or night. They are ready and willing to accept calls for advice, depression, loneliness, mental or physical illness, substance abuse, family problems or any other reason a person may need to talk. They can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Men take their lives nearly four times as often as women. (VVNG graphic using CDC Data)

Nearly 4 in every 100 adults report having suicidal thoughts in the past year.(VVNG graphic using CDC Data)

Nearly 57% of men that die as a result of suicide use a firearm. Nearly 35% of women who die as a result of suicide use poison. (VVNG graphic using CDC Data)